Thoughts on the Displayed Products

The Kumamoto Prefectural Sake Institute was established at a time when the breweries in Kumamoto Prefecture were converting from akazake (red sake) to regular sake brewing. The first chief engineer, Kinichi Nojiro (later known as the "God of Sake") developed techniques for pressing and controlling temperature, and contributed to the development of breweries throughout the prefecture. In 1952, Mr. Nojiro succeeded in isolating and cultivating Kumamoto Yeast, which has a mild acidity, a gorgeous fruity aroma, and a strong fermentation power even at low temperatures.

The 'Koro Junmai Ginjo' sake is full of the history and technology of the institute. "Yamada Nishiki, the sake rice used for Koro is polished to down to 45%, and brewed with underground water from the Aso region. ’Koro Junmai Ginjo' has a subdued ginjo aroma, which can be served cold or heated, and enjoyed in a wide variety of ways.
"It goes especially well with sour-tasting dishes, and I'd pick a boiled hamo (sea eel) with plum paste on top as my favorite pairing dish!" says Takuji Oda, the brewery's production manager.

As for 'Koro Honjozo', he added, "This is a standard sake product using Kumamoto Yeast. It is a very refreshing sake with a young maturity period after being pressed, but it has a clean aftertaste when cooled. And it goes so well with salty dishes such as yakitori, sour dishes and fried foods like karashi renkon (lotus root with spicy miso, a specialty of Kumamoto)."